Wrong Ramen: The Worst Ramen House in Manila

We had absolutely no right to open a ramen house. We had no experience, no Japanese cooks, no reputation. We were amateurs–but we wanted to make ramen, badly. So we had a problem: who will buy noodles from an inauthentic ramen joint, when just twenty minutes away, you can get pork broth simmered with the sweat of a real Japanese chef?

We thought that maybe, just maybe, if we approached this with a sense of humor and self-awareness, people would give us a chance. So in 2013, we built Wrong Ramen with a self-deprecating spirit that celebrated our lack of experience and authenticity in a field that prized purism.

We have never aspired to cook the best bowl (traditionally-speaking) of ramen in the world—that honor can go to stalwarts like Ippudo—but we want to be the best in what we do.

In Wrong Ramen, we want to instill a subtle local spirit to ramen without fundamentally altering what makes it great. While we do have a few over-the-top flavors, we keep the basic form intact: firm & chewy noodles, a rich fatty pork bone broth, and an incredible infusion of umami. The local flavors make it through Southeast Asian ingredients that traditional ramen houses would never use such as fish sauce, coconut milk, and cilantro. On top of this, we offer local craft beers on the menu to pair with our noodles.

Over the years, we have been criticized for this mutant child of ours. “I will only sip your broth only through my ass!” (Hey, if you could, that’d be really cool!) But on the bright side, we’ve also built a devout community of people who understand what we’re trying to do and appreciate the intricacies (or lack thereof) of our craft. We hope you’re one of them.